All new stories of punishing extremes and unbearable pleasure With historical, contemporary, and futuristic backdrops, this outrageously diverse collection of original stories explores every conceivable variation of BDSM erotica from knitting circles to the Titanic to a retelling of The Little Mermaid Featuring all new stories by Meljean Brook, Jean Johnson, BettieAll new stories of punishing extremes and unbearable pleasure With historical, contemporary, and futuristic backdrops, this outrageously diverse collection of original stories explores every conceivable variation of BDSM erotica from knitting circles to the Titanic to a retelling of The Little Mermaid Featuring all new stories by Meljean Brook, Jean Johnson, Bettie Sharpe, Jill Myles, Margaret Rowe, Sara Thorn, and , this book has everything a reader could hope for in an erotic romance.

Recent Comments "Agony/Ecstasy: 21 Stories of Agonizing Pleasure"

Of all the reviews I write, anthologies are the hardest nut to crack. When the anthology is one of numerous short stories, rather than a handful of novellas, the task grows even more difficult. When you're working with stories that are a mere 20 pages in length, how do you review them without giving away all the details?Since this is a genre collection, rather than a literary one, there's not a ton to talk about thematically. The authors' goals were to entertain, not enlighten. So I'd suppose my [...]

The Agony/Ecstasy anthology is made up of “11 stories of agonizing pleasure and 10 stories of exquisite pain.” I was hesitant to read this, because I’m not huge on anthologies to begin with and I thought 21 very short stories would not be for me. But I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed them. Many are edgy and all are erotic. I decided to give my brief thoughts on each one.On the Agony side:Transfixed/Transformed by Anne Calhoun – One of the main reasons I picked up this anth [...]

There were some good stories started, but they needed more development. More frustrating than entertaining.I rarely buy anthologies because most are not as satisfying as full size novels. I took a chance on this one. Sadly I was disappointed. There are 21 stories by 20 different authors. Each story is about 20 pages long. Because they were so short, something was missing from all of them. The least satisfying were those with unfinished endings, not knowing what would happen with the couples. Som [...]

Note: I've only read the stories by Anne Calhoun in this anthology, because she's one of my very favorite erotic romance authors. Transfixed: 3.5 starsIt's a short story, so it's no easy feat for an author to write a cohesive work in such a tight word count. As always Ms. Calhoun's writing style is purely hypnotic. There's a rhythm to her words, an underlying poetry that enchants me every time I read her work. Each word is like sampling a delicious morsel from a five star restaurant. The only re [...]

Just a little something to read on a cold, rainy night to get you in the mood adventerous one, to say the least. Many erotic short stories with an S&M twist. Some stories more explicit than others. Nothing too hard-core, in my opinion. I did learn a couple of new tricks. I would recommend this book!

I wasn't sure whether to give this one 4 or 5 stars, but in the end I decided to go with 5, because the ones I enjoyed I REALLY enjoyed, and for the most part the ones I didn't like weren't so much bad as they were just not to my taste.As I read I took notes to have a mini book club type phone call with my sister when she's done reading it. I thought I'd post my notes here. I read the book a story or two at a time over the course of week.My overall favs:Safeword by Delphine DrydenWicked Wedding [...]

I'm just going to jump right in to my thoughts on this one:I'm not usually a fan of anthologies, so I was a bit hesitant to read this, but I ended up really enjoying it. I like reading BDSM if it's not too over-the-top, and these stories were just the right speed for me. It's kind of silly, but I thought it was very cool that the book had two sides - you read the Agony side, then flipped it over for the Ecstasy stories.My favorite story (actually two) was Transfixed (on the Agony side) by Anne C [...]

Twenty-one stories, edited by Jane Litte, of intimacy, pleasure, excitement and discovery rolled into two volumes simply titled, "Agony/Ecstasy." I loved some of these stories; they caught me off guard with their simplicity or with the original spin they took on a well known theme. And other stories just didn't do it for me at all, or disappointed me outright, because I expected more from the author. I truly enjoyed ten stories from this double feature. Five weren't bad, and six I could have ski [...]

Can't give a rating for this one yet. I bought it mainly to read the Anne Calhoun stories. (she is an author goddess and I must read everything she writes)My comments below are about her contribution to the anthology."Transfixed" (Agony) and "Transformed" (Ecstacy), are each wonderful in their own right. The former is haunting and rhythmic while the latter feels like an artistic study in metaphor. Both were captivating. The stories are 9 and 10 pages respectively.In "Transfixed", the reader disc [...]

3.5 stars. Why I read it: Sometimes, I'm in the mood for a short story, kind of like a sorbet. I'd had this on my TBR for some time, having bought it ages ago, and I decided to intersperse the stories with my other reading.What worked for me (and what didn't): AgonyTransfixed and Transformed, the two stories by Anne Calhoun in the anthology (one each in Agony and Ecstasy) were about the same pairing, one from her POV, one from his. I liked these stories very much and could happily have read a wh [...]

First off have to say that I won this book through the GR giveaways last year. And was really surprised when I first won it as I entered last minute. But with that said I have to say I really enjoyed reading both the Agony and the Ecstasy sides of this book. I'll admit that there were some storeis that weren't exactly my cup of tea and dealt with the love interests actually fighting each other and pain in that way. But I still liked that the agony was expressed in different ways than just one. T [...]

Each one of these authors pulls you into their characters lives, and holds you captive through every kiss and caress. The link between pleasure and pain is a common theme throughout these stories, but each has its own unique voice. With the kiss of a whip and a scream of passion you are submerged into this world of sensation that I promise you will love as much as I do. There is now a whole new list of authors I want to follow, and I cannot wait to begin.Lototy Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance & [...]

This anthology of stories was a great read. The stories were good, short and erotic. I really liked the different styles and ideas in which all the stories were written. Some even added an unexpected tenderness between the characters. I loved the stories from both sides. Some were very edgy but easy to read. I have several new favorites now. After reading the story Each Step Sublime in the Agony section, I don't think i can think of the Little Mermaid again with thinking of this.

The stories are very quick reads. All of them are very erotic, although not all of them are BDSM. Some of them are very very good (those would be the ones with the corners folded down. :-) While, as with any anthology, not all of the stories were excellent, enough of them were good to rate 4 stars. I think this is a very good book for people who like erotica and for people who want to spice up their bedroom a little bit.

Meljean Brooks clever story totally earned the stars. Hands down, it was the best in the collection, her talent can cross into any genre. The others ranged from really bad to ok, but i'd be unlikely to look up the authors, as this genre tends to be too short plot to hold my interest. But bravo to Ms. Litte for nabbing Brooks story.

I wanted to see if this "author" was as good as she must be for tearing down so many other authors over the years. After all those reviews, surely Litte's prose would be mind blowing, eh?Dry. Emotionless. Meh. That'll teach me to hand over money out of curiosity instead of instinct!

I really hate eating anthologies. Some of these stories were really great (I would totally read a novel that picks up where Caged left off) and some where just meh. Overall, I think the good outweighed the bad.

I liked most of the stories but some of them were terrible, in my opinion. But there was a little something in the book for everyone, I think, so I hope people will pick up the book and give it a try. Happy reading!

Joint Review originally posted here and here: thebookpushers/2011/12/06/ and thebookpushers/2011/12/06/Transfixed – Anne CalhounE: Ms Calhoun provided exquisite detail that doesn’t just focus on the physical but draws the reader into the story. I wanted to know the why behind the characters’ motivation. I loved how neither one really fit into the common stereotypes of leather, whips, and chins. I also really enjoyed how it was private not in a “club” with observers. B+MinnChica: For a [...]

My February 2013 TBR--it took me over a year to sort out my thoughts and get them down.Let me start by putting my premises on the table. The Story of O was many a decade in the past. Anne Calhoun’s What She Needs was a gentle segue into erotic, followed by Carrie’s Story by Molly Weatherfield (perhaps better known as Pam Rosenthal), and lastly, Second Chances by Lauren Dane. To provide some points of reference.On the other hand, I can read and understand just about everything that comes acro [...]